A wide range of kitchen styles garnered awards at this year’s National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) Design Competition – from Moroccan flair, elegant touches of French Provincial, a rustic farm look and feel, a cake baker’s dream, a 1940s Cape Cod appearance and more! While the winning stylings are eclectic, the kitchens all have some facets in common: increased efficiency and function, remarkable character and new and beautiful focal points for the homes.

Nearly 25 inspiring winning projects were recognized at the awards ceremony held in Las Vegas prior to the opening day of the 2015 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS). Winners from across six main kitchen and bath categories and 10 specialty categories were recognized at the ceremony for their talent and expertise.

A panel of eight experts evaluated nearly 300 entries for projects from across the U.S. and Canada. Consumers also had a say, choosing the People’s Pick Winner, featured on HGTV.com. The kitchen competition categories are Small (less than 150 sq. ft.), Medium (150-350 sq. ft.) and Large (more than 350 sq. ft.).

As we have for several years, Lifestyles & Homes once again is bringing you fresh kitchen ideas. Whether you are going to build new, remodel or just want inspiration, feast your eyes on these beautiful and innovative spaces. Watch for the NKBA Bath Design winners in our next issue.

Rustic Farm-Style Flair — A couple with a young child desired an open farm-style kitchen that accommodates everyday family living and creates an ideal space for entertaining guests. Utilizing three different cabinet finishes and a mix of feminine and masculine materials, the designer created warmth, texture and harmony in the kitchen. A large, elegant island opens up to the family room, and a rustic farm table in front of the island serves as a cozy spot for family dining and entertaining. Cabinet door panels discreetly conceal some of the built-in appliances, keeping the warmth of the cabinetry as the main focal point of the room.

Low storage innovations enable the child to access the kitchen items with ease and safety. As a reclaimed 100-year-old barn wood adorns the ceiling, large white trestles add texture and beauty, while anchoring the entire space. A custom hood behind the range is the main focal point of the kitchen, and an attractive bar area makes room for casual entertaining. Glass doors, open shelving and a farm-style sink not only retain the farmhouse ambiance, but also add balance to the bar area.

The designer balanced the simplicity of the rustic atmosphere with the elegance of modern style, perfectly embracing the clients’ vision for their home.

The Moroccan Marvel — To create a functional living space conveying a love of cooking, art and life in general, the designer drew inspiration from the homeowners’ private collection: a stunning Moroccan antique door from a trip to Marrakesh. A custom steel “I” beam was fabricated and installed to allow for an open concept in the century-old home. Interior walls within the original space were eliminated, allowing for greater traffic flow, natural light and efficiency. A banquette features a sofa and eight seats with cushions used to emphasize the Moorish textures and furniture styling. Custom veneer panels creating the banquette area was hand-stained on site and made to match the walnut cabinetry. A custom refrigerator/freezer door features glass panels with hand-etched designs. The Moorish arch around the range area was created using a laser cutout of the shape and covered with a dimensional vein-cut marble, and a custom walnut borders the edges. This eclectic kitchen housing many focal points and contrasting textures, serves as a functional, multifaceted space for the busy, city family!

A Touch of Elegance— In order to best cater to the client’s request for a unique, formal kitchen filled with character and personality, the designer found products from around the world to incorporate into the space. The kitchen had a four-foot hallway from the foyer to the garage on the right side, which was removed to accommodate a full refrigerator and freezer and also open up adequate space to fit two 100-inch islands. The family room and the kitchen were connected by the old hallway, which, when removed, opened up the kitchen to a family room with a beautiful paneled archway that is centered with the stove, the two islands and the dramatic mirrored ceiling. The detailed rosette ceiling in the center of the room features inset antique mirrors framed in acanthus leaf moldings. The center ceiling medallion is embellished with a blue crystal chandelier. The stove wall has multiple focal points including the blue La Cornue stove, a reclaimed tin hood, two curio cabinets and a 2 ¼-inch-thick concrete counter top with a silver gray finish to match the hood. The archway leading into the family room is paneled and finished to match the cabinetry. On both sides of the arch, the designer centered two tall China cabinets with curved mullion doors.

Elegant crafting and exclusive detailing enable every wall in this stunning kitchen to serve as a focal point on its own.

3rd PLACE LARGE KITCHENPHOTO BY SUKI MEDENCEVIC, DESIGNER ELINA KATSIOULA-BEALL

The Cake Baker’s Dream — The client’s dream was to own a kitchen well-equipped for painting, sculpting, baking and decorating cakes, opening up to the views outside. This led to the design of an all-white, airy kitchen with playful splashes of fuchsia and green and subtleties evoking the client’s favorite “Alice in Wonderland” theme. The former kitchen is now a spacious eating area with an expanding glass table that often doubles as an additional cake-decorating work station. In the former butler’s pantry spot now sits a triangular kitchen featuring two peninsulas stemming out of the oven and refrigeration wall. The prep and cook peninsula holds the range top and prep sink facing the folding French doors that open the living space to the garden and the views outside.

The bake and decorate peninsula next to the ovens uses the front counter space to mix the dough and land the baking pans, while the backside houses all cake decorating supplies. The back wall of the kitchen triangle houses the refrigerator, double ovens, warming drawer and microwave, while a deeper counter in-between features a roll-up backsplash which conceals a roll-out commercial espresso maker. White cabinetry and counters keep the look light supported by a few splashes of color. A Fuchsia baker’s hutch with open shelving displays a bake ware collection and a focal wall is lined with recycled oval fuchsia glass tile. This pristine kitchen is truly a baker’s dream that takes the client’s hobby to the next level!

Heart of the Home — Inspired by the historic wooden window screens from the client’s ancestral home, the design of the kitchen cabinetry’s fretwork came into place. This design motif is repeated on a different scale in the kitchen’s marble backsplash, and its curves are echoed in the silhouette of the glass pendant lighting. To achieve an inviting, updated style, gleaming white counters were balanced with gradations of warm gray cabinetry, walls, and trim. Black granite insets in the backsplash complement the black gloss enamel range, which serves as the anchor of the room. Mixed metals, mirrored accents and the mother-of-pearl insets on the backsplash provide jewellike surprises throughout the kitchen. The huge island with a seamless counter holds adequate room for family and friends to dine or help with meal preparations and also engage in hobbies. Furthermore, carefully planned base cabinet storage makes access to everyday items easy for even the family’s 4-year-old.

With upgraded luxury appliances, extensive counter space and seating for four at the island, this gourmet kitchen offers a peaceful, modern and luminous setting to spend that quality time with loved ones.

Modernism Revived — A marriage between the lush kitchen space and the spectacular views outside, this design embraces simple white materials with wood accents echoing the natural surroundings. Removing all existing partition walls to achieve one large open living area, the designer deployed durable countertops and a simple cabinet style for a modern look. Since the large island required a material without a seam, the designer incorporated a neolith porcelain countertop which is 100 percent recyclable and composed of all natural materials. American Walnut with a flat sliced grain match was specified for the eating bar on the island as well as some of the storage areas. Lining up perfectly with the center of the range hood fan are three central skylights that bring ample natural light to the island, minimizing the need for electricity during daytime. Stainless steel countertop with a seamless welded sink provides an exceptionally durable and hygienic surface, and an oversized industrial faucet at the main sink makes a style statement while facilitating water efficiency. Bright and spacious, catering to modern conveniences, this magnificent kitchen complements the essence of the sprawling beauty outside.

A Timeless Transition — Designed to appeal to a single client who works from home and loves to entertain, this small kitchen features a clean, contemporary and functional space for socializing, dinner parties and day-to-day use. The vertical space borrowed from the dining area makes room for a wall-oven, and adding more storage space addressed the functional needs of this kitchen. The cleanup center has increased capacity, containing a single dish drawer to the right of the sink and a functional trash bin to the left. The cooking center is at the heart of the kitchen with an induction cooktop and pop-out hood-vent above. Recessed lighting was added throughout the space and task areas were enhanced with under cabinet lights. Custom color walls and tall cabinets in white match all the finishes and the custom bench seat. Accented by natural walnut open shelves and contrasted by the newly matched parquet floor, wood tones repeat the natural theme with the customized basket weave marble tile in the backsplash. Earthy engineered quartz creates a strong, linear working surface.

The kitchen adorns a timeless look for the future of the residential investment, truly reflecting the client’s sensibilities to light, color and textures.

Retro Farmhouse Aesthetics — It was only natural for this environment-conscious family to reduce, reuse and recycle with their remodeling project. The homeowner’s original kitchen that lacked storage, counter space and a dishwasher was reorganized by moving the refrigerator closer to the cooktop and sink, clearly defining a work zone and separating it from the path of travel from the foyer to the family room. Shifting the living room doorway made room to move the fridge to the same wall as the cooktop and also provided a better layout for the island. A fossil art from Green River Stone was placed above the sink as a focal point. Energy consumption was reduced by switching from fluorescent tracks to LED can lights and under-cabinet lighting. The Energy Star rated Big Chill fridge and Kitchen Aid dishwasher further reduce energy consumption. Since all of the farmhouse’s electricity is generated from solar panels on-site, the switch from a gas stove to an induction cooktop was a sensible one. Many parts of the kitchen were reclaimed and repurposed – the cabinetry was built by a local cabinet shop from old wormy chestnut shelves rescued from a warehouse. The stained glass found at a local salvage shop was originally from an Arts and Crafts home. The booth seats were made from old pews and the table from old silo wood.

Since composting was part of the clients’ lifestyle, the designer built a pull-out made to fit their compost bin. The clients now enjoy a more efficient kitchen that stands in harmony with the retro farmhouse aesthetic.

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The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) is the nonprofit trade association that owns the KBIS®. With nearly 14,000 member companies representing more than 60,000 individuals, the NKBA has educated and led the kitchen and bath industry since its founding in 1963. The mission of the NKBA is to enhance member success and excellence, promote professionalism and ethical business practices, and provide leadership and direction for the kitchen and bath industry worldwide. For more information, visit NKBA.org or call 1-800-THE-NKBA (843-6522).